


i get excited (when i think of climbing into your eyes)

by hearden



Series: Legacy of Power [4]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 18:23:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13957365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearden/pseuds/hearden
Summary: Coming down from a long overdue break-up, Kat finds company in her best friend and accidentally ends up making front page news as Tanya Sloan's mystery gal pal.(A companion oneshot to Second Chance/prequel oneshot to Legacy of Power.)





	i get excited (when i think of climbing into your eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> u bet ur ass i found a way to shove a FAKE DATING trope of all things into my own canon bc i'm nothing if i'm not a sucker for dumb ass romance shit and oblivious gays
> 
> featuring kat/tanya for tanya lovefest month (and mentions of kim/kat because this is like... Very Soon After their break-up)

Her flat is sorely empty without Kimberly, but Kat moves forward because she kind of has to. She still has work to go to every day and go home every day and make only _herself_ dinner every day. It's hard, but she gets by because, in a way, she'd been single for a longer time before Kimberly actually left. Their demons haunted them, went to bed with them, fucked them over, but Kat walked out stronger and Kimberly had yet to show her face from inside the fire. It makes her heart ache to wonder how Kimberly is doing, not _knowing_ that, even if she's hurting, she isn't just waiting at home on their sofa, flipping through channels on the TV, or in their bedroom, sprawled out on the sheets.

Kat sends out an e-mail to the rest of the team, sans Kimberly and Tommy, of course, and it feels so grossly sophisticated and cold and detached that this is the first thing she's spoken of their break-up to any other Ranger. She swallows her discomfort and hits send because it's more a message of concern than anything else -- concern for Kimberly's health and well-being.

Somehow, even though she wasn't afraid of it before, turning on the stove makes her flinch, but she's only doing it for herself, now, not because Kimberly wouldn't.

 

* * *

 

Tanya calls her a couple of days after she first sends the e-mail off.

 _"Hey,"_ her voice is soft and a little reluctant, and for the first time, Kat wonders if this is how Kimberly had felt under her constant worry, _"How are you doing?"_

Kat shrugs then remembers that Tanya can't see her, "Fine, I guess. It's not a big deal."

_"Any time you say something is not a big deal, I'm inclined to believe that it is."_

"Tanya."

Her voice is edging on stern. _"Kat."_

Kat sighs, "You saw us at the reunion last year. Don't tell me any of that looked real? We should've broken up ages ago, and we just… didn't. I've _been_ over it."

_"Just because you know what the problem was doesn't mean you've dealt with it."_

She almost opens her mouth and says that the problem walked out her door months ago then decides that's a little bitter and mean and would prove Tanya _completely_ right, so she opts for something else, instead. "Fine," she relents, "What do you suggest?"

 _"I'll come visit you,"_ Tanya says, and Kat can hear her smile through the phone, _"I'll be in the neighborhood in a few weeks."_

"Oh, come on," Kat protests, "I heard about the tour. You can't take time away from that. You need your rest."

_"Then, I'll rest on your couch."_

"That's not what I meant."

 _"I'll see you soon,"_ Tanya says, and it's final.

 

* * *

 

As promised, Tanya shows up on her door, so absolutely quietly that Kat could've sworn she teleported in, but they can't quite do that anymore.

"How did you get here?" she asks in a whisper, even though… there's nobody else around to hear. What she means to ask about is the glaring absence of paparazzi in the street.

"I have my ways," Tanya says, coyly, "I'm a star, I kinda have to know how to get the paps off of my tail, don't I?"

They spend the night eating ice cream that Kat had pre-stocked her fridge for in anticipation of Tanya coming over and watch the same old, cheesy, straight romance movies that they've watched together since high school, counting off and predicting the cliches and laughing together when one happens. It's casual, intimate, something that Kat finds herself remembering wasn't something she quite had with Kimberly. She tries not to let resentment get to her, but a spike briefly flashes, regardless, and she sighs, digging her spoon back into her pint of ice cream.

Tanya mistakes her sigh as post-break-up blues, to which she wouldn't really be far off, and looks over in concern, her brow furrowing, "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," she says, too quickly, knowing the moment the words leave her mouth that Tanya doesn't believe her, "I just… this is nice."

Tanya looks at her as if she wants to say something else, but Kat turns her attention back to the movie, building up a barrier against further conversation.

 

* * *

 

Tanya shares her bed because Kat insists that she would _never_ let such a special guest, as well as her best friend, sleep on her sofa, and Kat cherishes the warmth until she wakes up alone and knows, while staring a hole into the ceiling, that Tanya had to leave because she _probably_ wasn't supposed to be away from her hotel room because she _is_ on tour in town, after all.

It, surprisingly, doesn't hurt as much as Kimberly leaving, and Kat curses herself for comparing the two so, so soon.

A couple of days later, Tanya calls her up again, but Kat knows that she's gone by now, already on the next leg of her tour in Spain.

 _"Hey, pretty lady,"_ Tanya greets with even more of a chirp in her voice than usual. It makes Kat a bit suspicious, but she goes along with it.

"Pretty lady?" she asks, raising her eyebrows, "Are you sweetening me up for a favour?" She can't think of anything she could really do for Tanya that couldn't already be had with the fame and money that Tanya herself has access to, but.

_"Sweetening you up for a surprise is more like it. Do you pay attention to the tabloids?"_

"Um, when I'm bored at the doctor's office, yeah," Kat says, absently, "Why?"

_"Well, you're front page news, now. Check your e-mail. I just sent you something."_

Kat fumbles for her laptop, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear. It takes her about five minutes just to get into her e-mail because the connection around her flat is absolute shit, but eventually, she clicks on the first e-mail at the top from Tanya's private address.

Attached is an article published a few days ago from a tabloid that Kat doesn't recognize, but unmistakably, at the top, is a grainy photo of her greeting Tanya in front of her building and holding the door open for her.

It's innocent. Really.

"Okay, uh, that's us, and?" Kat furrows her brow, "Wait, I thought you said you lost the paps?"

Tanya scoffs, _"Sometimes a sneaky one slips through. Sue me. But, keep reading."_

Kat skims the article, the collar of her shirt feeling suddenly tight around her throat. "That's--" she sputters, "What? _No,_ that's absolutely--"

 _"Ridiculous?"_ Tanya suggests, _"Dumb? Preposterous?"_

"Yes, yes, and _yes,_ " Kat chuckles, nervously, "You were visiting, and I held the door open for you. To think that I'm your…" She passes over a label, hastily, "That's so far-fetched."

She can hear Tanya shrug. _"I mean…"_ Tanya says, slowly, and lets out a soft chuckle, in a tone that makes Kat's stomach flip, _"I_ **_did_ ** _go over to your place after a concert, even though I was tired and it was a long night and I had a flight the next morning. Seems like the story is that I wouldn't be going out of my way like that if you weren't someone special."_

"Yeah, but we're _friends,_ I mean, that's special enough," Kat says, casually, but even as she says it, she remembers Kimberly teasing but also not teasing her about their last reunion before the break-up -- about how Tanya had looked at her in a way that Kat had pretended not to notice because she knew Kimberly was about to burn up in flames and take her with her.

 _"Yeah, of course,"_ Tanya says, laughing, and Kat is too caught up re-skimming the article to notice that something sounds slightly off, _"I just thought it was pretty amusing. I've gotta go, but I'll talk to you soon, okay?"_

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Kat says and hangs up, biting on her lower lip as her eyes drift down to the word _lover._

 

* * *

 

The annual Ranger Reunion is shortly after the article… thing. Kat wouldn't call it an incident or fiasco because neither of those words really fit. It just is. There'd been no follow-up, understandably, because Tanya hadn't been to see her again and had finished up her tour in Germany without any other appearances from her _mystery lover._

Not that Kat had checked, of course. She didn't keep up with tabloids.

Kimberly isn't there as Kat had anticipated, but Tommy and his new team are very much so. Nobody really asks her about the break-up because they're all pretty private about relationship troubles since it's… weird to experience a break-up _in the family,_ so to speak. Kat briefly wonders what would happen if someone got divorced but then shakes off the idea and asks the universe not to take her absent thoughts seriously.

However, Kira, the new girl -- the _only_ girl -- does ask as subtly as she probably thinks she's being, only after she gushes about _Tanya Sloan_ being a _Power Ranger_ for a solid thirty minutes that Kat laughs and rolls her eyes, "Are you guys dating? I saw, like, an article about it a couple of weeks ago…"

"No, no, we're not dating," Kat says, hastily, and Tanya stays silent next to her.

"Oh, okay," Kira says, nodding a few times too many, "If you were, I was gonna say, you know, it's… nice. To see a big sensation like you be out and proud."

Tanya chuckles and shakes her head, "Believe me, I'm out and proud. But, I'm private and I wait for the question to be asked because I'm not gonna put business out there before its time, and nobody has thought to _assume_ that I'm not straight."

"Right, cool," Kira glances around the room then gets up from her seat, "Excuse me, I'm gonna… go find someone."

Kira leaves, leaving Kat comfortably curled up on the sofa, inches away from Tanya's side.

"You know," Tanya comments, "She's been looking for Tori all night."

"Mhm," Kat hums, "Tori keeps trying to avoid her, too."

Tanya shrugs and scoots closer, softly chuckling, "They'll figure it out."

Kat shifts so that she can lean her head on Tanya's shoulder. "Oh, yeah?" she laughs, lightly, "Wonder how long that will take." Absently, she traces her fingers along Tanya's wrist, her mind blissfully blank. Ideally, she should be more broken up after a _break-up,_ but she isn't. The burnout was in the making. She had seen it coming and coming, and she had tried to stop it because she loved Kimberly, but they just weren't in the right time, right place, supposedly, edges brushing against each other but not enough to fit together.

When Tanya gets up and offers to get her a refill of punch, Kat watches her leave, hugging her knees to her chest to simulate the absence of warmth, and sends her own hopes out to the sky that, wherever Kimberly is, she's doing okay and that she comes back to the people who love her soon.

 

* * *

 

She doesn't quite think about the article again until Tanya calls her some time after the reunion and about a week and a half before Christmas.

_"Hey, I have an invitation for you."_

"O...kay?" Kat purses her lips, "To what?" She's not taken aback by just being invited to something because she'll go to whatever Tanya asks her to go to, but she needs context first, at least, if not to call off from work for a few days.

_"This gala thing. It's all fancy, actors, musicians, et cetera, and I can bring a date."_

"Um," Kat furrows her brow, "Wait, in the States? Why me? Why not… I don't know, uh…" She blanks on a name because there aren't any other names to say, really. "Why not… Rocky?"

_"Rocky? Really?"_

Kat sighs, "Okay, well, not Rocky, but… why me? I'm… far." She doesn't dare say Adam, knows that he and Tanya are still in some weird post-break-up friend limbo, despite the fact that they haven't been together for some time now.

 _"I can pay for your flight,"_ Tanya says.

"Uh, _don't,_ " Kat protests then sighs, "You really wanna go with someone, huh?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Tanya says, pouting, _"Look, Kat, I don't wanna go alone, and it'd be nice if you were there with me, so… please? For me?"_

Well, how can she say no to that?

 

* * *

 

She and Tanya go dress shopping a few days before the gala. Kat takes a week off from work, just to be sure, for the travel time and the gala and then just some personal time. She tries on her sixth dress of the day, and Tanya says the same exact thing.

"You look amazing."

Kat huffs, "You've said that to, like, every dress."

Tanya shrugs, glancing away, "Well? It's true."

"Stop," Kat rolls her eyes and goes back into the fitting room.

The one she finally decides on is a strapless, light pink evening gown, adorned with lace, a small bow on the back, and a trail of pearls hiding the zipper. Tanya says she looks beautiful in it, but when it's her turn to try on dresses, Kat loses her breath at the first one out -- carnation yellow with a smooth, elegant v-neck and a band of sparkling diamonds at the waist. There's a long slit in the flow of the dress from the waist down, and Kat finds her eyes lingering a moment on the skin she can see exposed, her thoughts flickering, even briefly, to the idea of being between Tanya's legs--

She clenches the shopping bag in her hand, and it crinkles loudly.

Tanya raises her eyebrows.

"You look… stunning," Kat forces out, wondering when she got so bad at this.

 

* * *

 

Another article pops up because the moment they leave the mall, they're swarmed by paparazzi as they get into Tanya's car and the driver pulls out of the parking lot as best as he can with people crowding the hood.

The new headline is that, maybe, Tanya Sloan has a long-distance girlfriend and, _maybe,_ the mystery blonde is in town for the gala. The questions are abound. Who is this mystery girl? Have they been dating for longer? What is their relationship like when one half is a pop star touring the world and the other is working at a dance studio in England? The media outlets get her name right, down to the K, and even worse, find her high school history, where the speculations just go absolutely wild. Kat's glad that her medical records are safe and secure -- the  _private_ ones that should never see the hands of a journalist flashing some green, especially, thanks to having Ranger connections -- but not much else of her past is, unfortunately. The rumor mill shapes out their story for them, whether they want it to look that way or not: they met in high school and, while Adam and Tanya got together, Kat watched from the sidelines until their break-up and then... the rest was history, apparently.

"That's ridiculous," Kat snorts, her stomach twisting, "I can't believe they're making it out as if I was just sitting off to the side  _waiting_ for you and Adam to split."

"They'll say what they'll say, unfortunately," Tanya says with a frown.

Kat is, however, glad that for all of the hasty and abrupt digging into her personal life that has occurred, somehow, nothing about the Power Rangers shows up. And nothing about the fact that she recently got out of a relationship with  _the_ Kimberly Hart, either, because if there's anything that she and Kimberly both don't need right now, it's the news dragging back America's young, valley-girl-esque gymnastics gold medalist only to publicly smear her depressive crash-and-burn.

"I'm surprised they found out  _anything_ about me," Kat says, rolling her eyes, "With all the media's dug up in just a couple of  _hours,_ by tomorrow, the world will know we're Power Rangers."

Tanya laughs at that, but Kat just watches her pick up the phone and order room service with quiet eyes. They're in a hotel room with a single bed because of course they would be. She wonders if this is the universe teasing her as she crawls into bed and easily curls up to Tanya's side that night.

 

* * *

 

The gala is so _much._ Kat sees celebrities she had only ever _dreamt_ of meeting and nearly freaks out about four times before they even get into the door.

"There's so many _famous people_ here," she whispers into Tanya's ear.

Tanya only laughs, and Kat hears the rapid shutter clicks of the cameras lining the carpet leading to the gala entrance. The paparazzi are held back by red ropes, but they're calling Tanya's name, wanting to know more, always wanting more. "Yeah, that's what happens when you're famous," Tanya says, flashing her a wink.

"They think we're dating," Kat says, slowly, as if that wasn't obvious before, but it's only really sinking in for her now.

"Mhm," Tanya hums, "They do." She touches Kat's elbow, lightly, like she's asking for permission. Kat can't quite read the look in her eyes, but she offers her arm, anyway.

Tanya meets her gaze, and there's something there, something a little charming, something a little… daring. Later, Kat won't be able to quite voice with eloquent words _why_ she does -- to herself, Tanya, or any of the other Rangers who blow up her phone the following morning -- but she leans down and presses her lips to Tanya's, feeling her pause in surprise. But, the surprise only lasts for a moment, and then, Tanya is kissing her back, private and quick but meaningful all the same.

The carpet is a buzz in the background for her, but even as she smiles into the kiss, Kat can hear the clamor of the journalists getting predictably louder. "Let's give them a show, then," she says as she pulls back. Tanya's hand on her arm shifts to wrap around her waist as they head inside, and Kat can't help but grin for the cameras. After all, no amount of unwanted, flashy attention could take this moment away from her.

**Author's Note:**

> title from My Love - The Bird and the Bee
> 
> this was going to end up being more extensive and including All The Fake Dating Tropes like mutual pining and intimate affection that creates inner turmoil and ALL OF IT
> 
> but then i decided that, honestly, kat and tanya would not be that needlessly dramatic bc they're already gay and in love


End file.
